PathfinderAwardFor innovation in nature conservation

Theme: Innovation & Excellence in Protected and Conserved Area Financing and Resourcing

2018 Call for Nominations

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature, the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), and WildArk are excited to invite nominations/applications for the inaugural Pathfinder Award. It is planned to confer this award annually in the future, focussing on particular themes related to protected and conserved areas.

With this award, we will celebrate, honour, and support individuals, groups, or organisations for their effective solutions that contribute to the success of protected and conserved areas. The award winner will receive a financial grant of US$ 10,000, the runner-up will receive a grant of US$ 2,000, and a US$ 1,000 will be awarded to each of up to three special commendation winners. The award winner will also receive a plaque and certificate of achievement, promotion and visibility, and an invitation to the awards ceremony. The inaugural award will be presented at the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 14), which will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, between 17 and 29 November 2018. All eligible solutions will be published on the PANORAMA – Solutions for a Healthy Planet web platform and be promoted further through the PANORAMA initiative.

The 2018 Pathfinder Award seeks initiatives focused on finding innovative solutions for financing and resourcing protected and conserved areas (see below for further details).

The Pathfinder Award is designed to recognise outstanding solutions for protected and conserved areas developed and implemented by individuals, organisations or groups.

UNDP, IUCN, WCPA, and Wild Ark have partnered to highlight these success stories and ensure that these solutions received global attention and recognition. The Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) and the PANORAMA initiative are pleased to support this year’s Pathfinder Award. The award

is also supported by the contributions of several partners and funders through projects that are helping to identify and communicate biodiversity conservation solutions.

The Pathfinder Award sets out to:

• Identify and showcase a growing global suite of innovations and solutions from protected and conservedareas that demonstrate success and inspire further action;

• Recognise and reward those individuals or groups/organisations that have achieved these successes;

• Incentivise the adaptation and replication of these solutions more widely;

• Reinforce policy messages related to quality, equity, and performance of protected and conserved areaswithin global frameworks and commitments;

• Highlight the work of leading agencies and global partners (governments, conservation agencies, civilsociety) in achieving solutions;

• Raise the profile of protected and conserved areas and systems, and their stakeholders; and

• Encourage further support and investment in applying successful approaches.

About the Pathfinder Award

It is planned over the life of the award, to focus in successive years on different aspects of sustainability of protected and conserved areas. In 2018 the focus will be on sustainable solutions for protected areas financing and resourcing.

Background to this 2018 call for applications/ nominations.Insufficient investment of finance and other resources in protected and conserved areas are persistent challenges that impede and weaken conservation efforts and effective management of protected areas around the world. Available research indicates that the funding gap for protected areas globally is estimated at US 30 - 35 billion dollars per annum. Yet, protected areas provide an economic return of as much as 50 to 1, in addition to providing multiple other non-economic benefits. There is a clear

need to find solutions that can increase the level of funding and resourcing for protected and conserved areas, many examples of which may already exist and are not widely known.

This year’s award focuses on identifying and celebrating solutions from around the world that have addressed this problem. Solutions should demonstrate:

• Success in sustainable financing or resources: adopting new types of sustainable financing or resourcingfor one or more protected/conserved areas;

• New and additional sources of revenues or means to address priorities sustainably;• Significant finance or resourcing breakthrough: dramatically increasing protected area revenues or

access to resources without compromising integrity;

• Successful partnerships for financing/resourcing: new partnerships developed with private sector or civilsociety that achieves new financing or resourcing;

The 2018 Award Theme: Innovation & Excellence in Protected and Conserved Area Financing and Resourcing

The 2018 award winners will be selected as follows.

An Award Review Committee will screen and review all nominations/submissions received and prepare a shortlist. The Committee will be comprised of protected areas management and financing experts from UNDP, IUCN Secretariat, IUCN WCPA, and other selected experts.

A jury of three to five eminent persons will select the winners from the shortlist submitted by the Award Review Committee.

All submissions/nominations will be assessed based on the following criteria:

• Relevance: Match to one or more of the thematic areas of the Award.

• Innovation: The extent to which the nominee(s) have demonstrated innovation, new partnerships, or ‘out-of-the -box’ ideas.

• Impact: The innovative solutions or approaches introduced by the nominee(s) must have been alreadyimplemented within a protected or conserved area and be showing effective results. To the extentpossible, impact will be evaluated based not only the demonstrated results and achievements, but alsoon the extent to which the introduced solution contributed to nature conservation outcomes and candemonstrate more effective governance or management of the relevant protected or conserved area (orprotected area system).

• Excellence and inspiration: The extent to which the nominee(s) have demonstrated at least one ofthe following:(a) outstanding achievements in advancing protected area financing or resourcing; (b)exceptional commitment to finding sustainable solutions to protected area financing or resourcing; or (c)strong contribution to creating change and serving as a role model for others.

Award Criteria and Selection Process

• New technologies: new approaches or methods to mobilise, collect, administer or disburse financial andother resources for protected areas;

• Management for investment: new management approaches to attract and enable investment or achievenew efficiencies.

In addition to demonstrating innovative and/or greater levels of diversified financing and resourcing, all submissions should also show, to the extent possible, what impact these initiatives have had on the effectiveness of protected or conserved areas, e.g., through a decrease in poaching, an increase in wildlife populations, or an increase in associated jobs. The IUCN Green List Standard can provide a good framework for protected areas to benchmark such progress.

The 2018 awards will be made as follows, taking into account submissions across all thematic areas listed above:

Overall Winner (individual or organization)

US$ 10,000

Runner-Up (individual or organization)

US$ 2,000

Special Commendation (to be awarded to up to three individuals or organizations):

US$ 1,000 each

We welcome all applications/nominations that meet the following requirements:

The applicant/nominee(s) must be an individual or group/organisation that works within or represents a protected or conserved area and their constituents and stakeholders (e.g., rangers, park managers, directors, local leaders, members of communities, and advocates).

Eligibility Requirements

Innovation and initiative must be completed with clear results, or under implementation with a certain level of accomplishment. Any person or a group can be nominated by those who are sufficiently familiar with their work and with the full approval of the nominee(s). Self-nominations are welcome and encouraged.

All categories of protected and conserved areas are eligible including community and private conservation areas, and areas conserved by indigenous peoples and local communities. There are no restrictions related to the protected area management, ownership, or governance types.

Innovative ideas that are not yet fully developed and/or implemented are not eligible for the award. However, such ideas can be submitted for the ‘Innovation Laboratory’ poster, which will be displayed at the Awards Ceremony.

Applications or nominations for the award should be submitted no later than 15 August 2018, by filling out the on-line Nomination Form in English. If you are unable to access the on-line form please contact as at the email address below for further information.

To submit an application or a nomination, please complete both steps below:

1. Complete the on-line Nomination Form (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PathfinderAwardENG); and

Application/Nomination Process

2. Follow the web link provided in the Nomination Form to the PANORAMA platform to submit a fulldescription of the protected area innovation / solution being nominated. Please note that to contribute asolution you will first have to register with PANORAMA. Complete the ‘Full Solution’ online entry templateand submit the solution as a draft on the platform.

Applications or nominations will only be considered if both of these steps have been completed.

Nominated initiatives will undergo a verification process that may require nominee(s) and/or nominators to provide additional information and/or materials.

By submitting a nomination, the applicants or nominee(s) agree to participate in any interviews, social media promotional activities, or any other activities that may be required to promote the Award and the nominees’ achievements.

The winners will receive the following prizes:

• Public recognition and acknowledgement which can then be used tomotivate and inspire others. The awards ceremony will be held at theCOP 14 meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, between 17 and 29 November2018. The winners will be presented with the award in person at thismeeting and a representative would be expected to be able to travel toCOP 14. The costs of the attendance will be covered in full. If the winner

Award Prizes

of the award is a group or an organisation, then only one representative will be invited to attend the ceremony in person, with the CBD country focal point being the default.

• A financial prize of US$ 10,000 for the winner, US$ 2,000 for the runner-up, and a US$ 1,000 will beawarded to each of up to three special commendation winners.

• The Pathfinder Award certificate and a plaque.

• Possible participation in a training programme or mentorship, including the IUCN Green List of ProtectedAreas Programme, if not already a candidate or listed site.

• Opportunity to receive in-kind technical support or membership of a network, including IUCN WCPA andIUCN Green List.

• Potential opportunity for keynote participation in a global, regional, or digital PANORAMA event.

• Further promotion and visibility: All complete submissions that meet PANORAMA’s ‘criteria for solutions’will be published on the web platform, regardless of their success in the award process.

The winners, runners-up, as well as other select nominees and their work may be featured on the relevant UNDP and IUCN websites and in a range of other promotional material, social media sites, or printed material.

• Call for nominations/applications opens: 05 June 2018• Call closes: 31 August 2018• Review of nominations: From opening to 15 Sep 2018• Winner(s) selection and notification: End-September 2018• The Awards ceremony: COP 14 meeting in November

2018

Important Dates

For further information please contact us at:pathfinderaward@undp.org

Further Information

Photo credits: Chris Gordon / ZSL

James Maiden / UNDP